We have been reading Jonathan Edward's Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, which is considered one of the best sermons ever written. What makes this sermon so effective is the use of persuasive imagery. What element of Edward's imagery was most effective to you? Why? (This post closes at midnight Tuesday, October 13, 2009.)
6 comments:
to me the most effective form of imagery was when Jonathan Edward described gods wrath as water being held back by a flood gate. This seemed the most effective to me because anyone who has seen the force of water being relesed is terrified if they are in the way and this made his sermon so effective by playing off of fear and and the humans mind of imagination as most people tend to fill in details that make the end result far more horrifing than it really is.
The most effective form of imagery was when Edwards talked about the gaping mouth of Hell. It filled the audience with fear and guilt for what they had done. It made them feel as if they could do nothing to redeem themselves.
The most effective form of imagery was when Edwards compared God's wrath to that of a bow bent by justice and the only thing stopping it from peircing a person's heart was the hand of an angry God. This both filled me with fear and relief knowing that i had a chance to not die but also that God was angry with me and that he could kill me at any moment.
(Scott Smith posted with mother's email account.)
The most effective use of imagery in Edwards "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is when he talks about to gaping mouth of hell. This is effective to me because it brings fear to the reader by describing hell. The "gaping mouth of hell" threatens the reader by making hell out to "devour" the sinners. The audience of this sermon were the Puritans who were sinning and were not living their life how they should. Edwards puts fear into them by reading this sermon. He threatening them with "The fear of God."
The wrath of God is like great waters that are dammed for the present, is the most effective line to me. It shows that God's power and fury are great. It is also proving that the Puritans should find God before He releases his punishment.
When he describes the people in god's hands as insects is the most effective to me. It emphasizes his disgust towards those who moved away from the church. It also helps people to think that god no longer wants to hold them up. If I were in the audience when he gave the sermon this line would have really scared me.
ZRY-3
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